My Neko Collectables
by The unwritten promise
Summary: A bundle of one-shots giving the detailed background and some of the stories for the characters in My Neko; from Zack and Cloud to Xaldin and Hayner, and everyone in between! Anything can happen within these pages! Warning: may contain swearing, mild nudity, troublesome behaviour, acting out teenagers, and upsetting scenes. It will contain Nekos etc.
1. Never Alone

My Neko Collectables

**Title of One-shot: **Never Alone

**Characters: **Zack (7 years old), Cloud (7 years old), Sora (6 months old), and Roxas (6 months old).

**Summary: **Cloud was alone after his mother and father passed away. With two baby Nekos to look after and the city guard hunting them, they were never safe. A life for a life is a valuable, but dangerous, phrase. Sometimes it's good to dilute the water, and promise friendship instead.

* * *

Over the back alleys of the Neko Kingdom the sun was white and daunting. It shimmered beyond panes of glass, reflecting itself down onto the cobbled stone where the desperate and hungry wrestled over a last piece of bread. By the slushed well of up-thrust rocks the women queued with hollowed out faces and gaunt frames, their buckets grasped tightly in their pale hands.

Guards stalked around the corners, their hands on their hidden swords. With armour of steel-plating and unflinching eyes they snatched the nearest woman to them, dragging her down the farthest alley where her screams could not be heard. Thick smiles, greasy hands and ravenous bites laid waste to what was once an innocent frame, and when they left the next guard would take over.

Down the alley of Fifth And Nine a shadowed figure hugged the side-lines of the cramped houses. The cloak was thick over the young boy's face, hiding the light hair and white ears beneath. Coming around the corner, he flinched and huddled back against the brick, his head bowed low and his eyes cemented to the ground. By and by, the guards slowly began to thaw from their hard games, and soon they dwindled down to two night watchmen.

Cloud daren't move. At the tender age of seven he knew the hardships of the world all too well. Drawn into the shadows, he listened to the men joke and laugh; they kicked an old lady from them, laughing to see her water spill and pointing her to the back of the line.

With hunched shoulders Cloud shrank further into the dark, his hand on the overly large sword his father had left him. He was still fresh to the workings of using the blade, but it brought him comfort.

Whilst dusk chased the sun an old lady was backhanded roughly, and someone pushed past him. They bumped him roughly, but the boy never looked back.

"Hey!" The boy called out. His voice was squeaky with the tremble of nerves, but he tried to sound brave.

_Stupid kid,_ Cloud thought.

The guards shoved the old lady away. She scrambled for her home, and the eyes of the alley turned between the guards and the boy with the raven hair. The kid fluffed himself up, refusing to step back.

"Well, what do we have here?" The first guard, Badger, called. He was a loathsome man of thirty six, freshly new to the recruitment of the castle and eager for his share of blood and fear. "A pretty little kitten out for a night-time stroll? Ha!"

"Run along, boy. A mouth like that'll get you hurt," Badger's companion, Reygon, said. Unlike Badger he was forty eight, a man grown and wise and unafraid to show a troublesome Neko how to fit into the frightening world.

The boy looked to where the old woman was roaring in her retreat. He stiffened, unyielding to their brutality as they rounded on him, ganging up on either side of him.

"You shouldn't do that!" The boy yelled, reaching for the sword on his hip. "She didn't do nothin' wrong!"

"She was in our way!" Badger snapped. "Take your hand from that sword, boy, else we'll show you what a man can do."

"She didn't do nothin' wrong!"

The words repeated seemed stronger, and the guards didn't like it.

"My watch is up, Badger," Reygon said, his eyes twinkling in the growing haze of the world. "You think you can handle a kitten like this?"

"I can do more than handle him." Badger stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. His boots stomped hard against the stone, and he grinned with a golden tooth. "You go on ahead. Save me a beer. I'll teach this twerp a lesson."

"Hmph, alright. Don't kill it though. If he can pick his way through a fight it might be worth a few coins up at the castle. They're always looking for experimental subjects down in the dungeons."

Reygon left. Badger stood over the boy threateningly. "You gonna use that thing or not, kid?"

The boy froze, unsure. He took a step back, his fingers slipped against the handle of his blade, and the guard smirked.

"I thought not. Come here, you little runt!"

Cloud closed his eyes and flinched. He heard the boy being yanked from the stone, heard the thick _crunch_ of a fist slamming across skin, and the kid's yelp was fresh and terrified. Grasping the wall tight, still huddled under his cloak, Cloud peeked an eye open. The crowd around the well had begun to move a lot faster, and the guard was nowhere to be seen.

In a small tangent of an alley hiding on the opposite side he could overhear the boy yelping and crying out. He folded his ears back and bit at his lip, looking over the sea of people. The drunks kept their eyes on the floor, refusing to look up as they cowered in fear; the women shuffled faster, trying to get as much water as possible before the guard came back. Nobody was willing to help.

The sounds increased until finally they succumbed to a gentle whimper and died. But the beatings never lessened.

Inhaling deeply, Cloud pulled himself away from the wall. His fingers left the brickwork and he slowly ventured across the yard, slinking to the far wall and gulping. The women's' eyes widened, and they called to him in soft whispers, begging him to come away; to return home to the new-borns. The drunk by his feet pulled on his cloak gently with weather-worn fingers, glancing up to him with a toothless mouth and urging him to flee.

Cloud pulled his cloak from him and slipped into the dark alleyway, his sword drawn. He hardened to see the boy lifeless on the floor. Badger had his back to him, spitting and cursing as he fiddled with his belt, slipping the knots free.

"I'll teach you, ya little runt. Couple o' lashes will sort you out."

He slapped the belt down against the ground, and the buckle slashed the mud. Cloud recoiled, afraid of the guard's weapon. He had to be fast; the cut had to be clean.

Gathering courage he held the blade firm, so tight his knuckles turned white, and with a running charge and a fierce grunt he impaled the guard through the stomach.

Badger sucked in an unholy breath. His belt dropped from his hands and he looked down to the red steel sticking through his gut and clothes. He opened his mouth to scream, but before he could the drunk sprinted by Cloud, holding the man's mouth tightly closed. Two women pulled a frozen Cloud away.

The sword stuck fast, and another unemployed soul cleaned the steel and brought it to Cloud's fingertips. Cloud took it gently as the women fretted over him. He heard Badger's neck snap, and then suddenly the corpse was being raided. Leather shoes, battle-armour, blood-stained cloth and fine gold teeth all fetched a pretty price if a person knew the right place to sell them to, but Cloud was uninterested.

Thanking them, he sheathed his sword and snuck around the body, making his way up to the boy. The gashes along the forehead were heavy, and the sores and bruises lining the broken nose and the ripped chest were deep and bloody. Cloud eased the boy onto his back with a grunt, shuffling him further up so the even breathing was against his ear.

"Please, Little One, leave the runt! He is trouble to these parts!" A woman urged, getting on her knees before him.

"I can't leave him," Cloud said. He stepped around her and over the carcass.

"Then please, don't take him to where the twins rest. Please, Little One, please don't! He's trouble!" The beggar-man whined, going to take the boy from his back.

Cloud moved away from him, bowing his head gratefully. "We'll be safe, I promise. Thank you all again for your help."

"Anytime, Little One," they chorused.

Cloud smiled, looking out between the corners of the alley. The people behind promised to take care of the body, and he trusted them. Slinking away into the night, he made his way back home.

To get there he had to slip beneath an iron bridge, wade through the moat of slimy water with the bugs that sucked his skin, and twist his way down a complicated network of back alleys that always seemed to change, sprouting new walls whenever he learned the right path. By the time he reached his home darkness had formed a web of stars so the moon could nap in their hammock.

Jumping down several steps, he slipped up against the door. Sliding an old bronze key into the lock, he held his shoulder to the door, lifting the wood and shoving against it hard. With a groan it eased open, and inside the musky heat was overpowering.

With the door closed he set his eyes on the poor excuse for a house. The fire greeted him with a crackle and a buoyant smile, held back only by the fireguard; a small couch rested in the centre of the room with an open archway leading to a kitchen beyond. Upstairs was two rooms, but only one was used, and in it there rested two beds; one for Cloud himself, and the other for his smaller brothers.

He set the boy down on the couch, laying him on his side. Unstrapping his sword, he placed it down on the far side of the room before leaving to fetch a bowl of warm water and a cloth.

Sitting by the couch, he rinsed the rag and set to work clearing the blood and wrapping the wounds. He didn't know much about how to fix things, but the boy's injuries weren't as bad as they looked. The broken nose had led to swelling under the eyes, the bottom lip was split, a deep bruise was beginning to form on the underside of his chin and his chest was badly beaten.

When he was done Cloud placed the bowl to a side, tearing some cloth with his hands and wrapping it tight to the other's chest. With his task completed he ventured upstairs, stepping into his room.

Upon the bed on the far left side the blankets were in a tussled mess. His youngest brother was undoubtedly the lump curled in a deep sleep with his head on the pillow, the brunette tufts being the clear giveaway. Sat behind him, blonde hair ruffled and blue eyes blinking, Roxas wrinkled his nose.

The twins were a few months old, and already they acted as complete opposites in Cloud's eyes. Roxas smiled to see the familiar shadow in the doorway, crawling forwards and tripping over Sora to land on his front. He blinked down at the sheets, his ears twitching ever so slightly as he tried to understand how he had come so close to them. Unaware of foiling his brother's plans, Sora turned over, kicking out in his sleep and rolling Roxas from him.

"I thought I put you to bed two hours ago?" Cloud smiled, kneeling beside the bed.

Roxas giggled, holding onto Cloud's outstretched hand. The small palm fitted snugly in his brother's, and he beamed.

"C'oud."

"Cloud," Cloud repeated slowly.

"C'oud."

"C-l-oud."

"'Oud."

"You had it better before," Cloud laughed, rolling his eyes. "Come on, bed."

He laid Roxas down and tucked him under the covers beside Sora. But as Cloud let them fall Roxas kicked them away with a cheeky smile.

"Roxas, I'm not playing. Bedtime."

"C'oud."

Cloud pulled the covers back up, but again they were pushed back. Roxas shimmied over onto his front, whining uncomfortably. Beside him Sora opened his blurry eyes, blinking twice and staring down the end of his nose to his brother.

"C'oud…?"

"Great. I suppose you'll wanna stay up too, huh?"

Sora jerked the covers from him, pushing Roxas down and using him as a stool to prop himself up. With a grunt Roxas wriggled away, and Sora fell onto his face. The brown ears tried to twitch, but were still too knew to perform any great movement. Sora began to sniffle. His small face scrunched upwards and the tears sprang forth from nowhere. Soft cries echoed around the room, and seeing how his brother was crying, Roxas copied him.

Cloud's shoulders sagged inwards with defeat. Scooping them up, one in each arm, he shushed them quietly, holding them to him protectively. With the stars and the moon hanging upon a windy sky he hummed the song his mother had taught him when he was younger.

Twice he repeated the melody before they began to settle. Remembrance stung Cloud's heart, and sharp beady tears bubbled to the corner of his eyes. He rubbed them away on his shoulder, trying to act grown up, but as he moved he shook Sora's head a little too much, and the crying started again.

Roxas finally quieted with a hiccup, his eyes closing heavily. When he yawned Cloud laid him down beneath the covers, giving Sora the majority of his attention.

With Sora finally began to shush Cloud cuddled him under the covers. He tucked both their feet in and stood over them for a moment, one of his ears bent with exhaustion. He rubbed his left arm, looking beyond the window to where the moon twinkled on. With a sigh he gave the twins a soft smile, closing the door on his way out and sneaking down the stairs.

Horror choked him to see the front door hanging open. Sucking in a heavy breath, he threw his ears back and moved cautiously, closing the door. The wind stopped howling, and the fire barked and crackled in the living room. He entered cautiously, standing as tall as he could with his eyes narrowed.

Inside was exactly the way he had left it. No nasty shadows hung by the archway, no riff-raff had sauntered in, and there were no guards around… but the boy was gone. Cloud checked the kitchen to be certain, and sure enough he was right. He locked the front door, sitting down against the couch in silence.

It ebbed at him slowly, drinking his soul from him as it did every other night. His dad had passed away only a few short months ago, his mother leaving only a few months before him, and Cloud had never thought the world to be so empty and alone until then.

Pulling his feet up to his chest, he hugged himself tight in the empty house and shivered. It was a cold night, and with the twins sound asleep upstairs, it was going to be a long one too.

* * *

Two Weeks Later

Zack was alone again. His wounds had finally healed, but there was still the faintest glimpses of bruises under his eyes. Holding tight to his sword, he weaved in and out of the back-alleys, looking for a way to skulk around the heavy guard.

Often he thought back to the house he had woken up in; the empty space, the sword on the far side of the room, the fire burning, the crying upstairs. He'd bolted the first chance he'd got, and he was sure it was the right thing to do. No doubt the guard had dragged him back for extra punishment.

He shivered and turned left into an alley. Taking a step forward, he frowned and flicked his ears at the people skulking and flinching away. They screamed about him, pushing back as he pushed forward. He heard the sound of dog-like beasts baying and ripping into heels, and he dragged himself up a drainpipe aligning a house for a better view.

Over the mass-hysteria he saw it. The boy in the cloak he had pushed past before was being held up in the air by his collar. The sword was shattered on the ground, and the blood was thick in clunks along his face. Zack was almost thankful the kid was unconscious, he cringed to think how much pain he'd be in otherwise.

A man yelled out for the guard to let the kid go, and another guard released a snapping dog upon him. Zack gagged as the jaw was ripped from the man's face, turning his attention back to the boy in the cloak. The guard holding him was Reygon; he recognised him. The man snarled in the kid's face, shouting commands to the others before dragging the boy into one of the back-alleys with him.

Zack's ears flicked forwards, and he looked up at the rooftops. Shimmying further up the drainpipe, he grabbed hard to the top and yanked himself up, bowing low to the rooftops and sneaking along between them. He jumped the small gaps when it came to it, sucking in a breath when a guard sauntered past the alley he was hiding above.

With his nerves aflame he made it to Reygon's alley. He chanced a look over the edge of the building, wincing to see Reygon boot the kid in the stomach so hard that blood came from his lips.

"I'll fuckin' teach you, boy! Badger's gone an' I know you did it, runt!"

He yanked the boy up. The hood fell back, and Reygon's eyes widened in fear to see white ears drooped atop blood-stained blonde hair. He dropped him as if he was infected, backing away to the mouth of the alley.

"You… You're-"

"He's not nothin'," Zack yelled.

Jumping down from the rooftop, he pulled his sword free and sliced it thickly across Reygon's throat. The blood spurted towards him, catching his chest and staining his shirt in light spurts. Zack stepped away, letting the man thud to his knees and topple forwards with wide eyes.

Struggling to catch his wheezing breaths, Zack turned back to the boy behind him. The cuts were shallow along the forehead and neck, but the bruising was black and ugly. The dogs bayed angrily beyond them, and Zack gulped. Ignoring the issue with the white ears, he dropped his sword and picked Cloud up in his arms, shuffling up his chest and sprinting down the end of the alley.

Unsure of where to go, he hid himself in the shadows of the backstreets. He would have taken the boy to his home, if he'd had one of course. Wrinkling his nose, he heard footsteps to his left and froze.

A woman gasped, scuffling from the shadows. A toddler was wrapped up in her arms in a thick shawl, and her aquamarine eyes widened as she looked upon the white ears. Zack shuffled uncomfortably, backing against the wall as the woman knelt to the ground beside him.

Her hair was as silver as the moonlight on a diamond, and she swept a wavy curl back from her face. She was twenty five years old, and she cuddled her baby to her chest as if she thought Zack might snatch him.

He glanced from her to the blonde in his arms, and he flinched away, holding him tighter.

"I didn't do it, Miss. Honest I didn't!"

"Hush, young one," she soothed. "Surely you must understand the predicament you are in? The hounds are barking for blood tonight. You must take Cloud home. Keep him safe with the others."

"C-Cloud?"

"That is this one's name, young one. Do you know the way to his home?"

"Can't you take him?" Zack asked, offering Cloud out desperately. "Please, I don't want any more trouble-"

"I cannot. The hounds bite at all they see, and I am too slow and clumsy with my child to be far from my door, especially with such a threat. Please, you must take him. I can tell you where to go, and once you are there the Network will keep you safe."

"The Network?"

"You will not see them, but they will be there. Please, young one. Cloud must not perish with the night."

Zack looked down to Cloud. His black fringe fell in front of his eyes and he nodded slowly. "Okay. Which way?"

She gave him directions swiftly, hushing her child when he tugged at her blouse.

"You will not have far to travel, but you must do it safely all the same. Lock the door tight when you get home, young one. Let nobody in until I come in the morning light. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah-"

"Good. Now go."

She pushed him gently and he ran. He slinked between the shadows, paddling through the stream and beneath the bridge like she had told him, holding Cloud above the freezing water and flinching when the guards marched overhead. The news of a second guard being killed had spread fast, and a bell was calling for blood loud over the city.

For half an hour Zack skulked between alleyways with his ears straining to hear over the sound of his pounding heart. He reached the door the young woman had told him to hunt down, and he fished in Cloud's pockets for a key. Finding it, he unlocked the door and banged his shoulder against it, slamming it close behind him with his boot and locking it.

He stopped when he reached the living room. The eerie similarity to the room he had woken up in was beyond startling; the fire crackled in the same way, the open arch and run-down couch were the same… All that was missing was the sword.

_Did… Did this kid save me?_

He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and laid Cloud down upon the couch. The blonde groaned, coughing more blood out onto his lips and shivering. Zack helped himself about the house. Locating a bowl, he filled it with water and brought it back to the living room with a cloth. He cleaned the gashes, pausing every time Cloud winced with a ragged breath. There wasn't much he could do for the bruises, so he wrapped them gently with the bandages he found. He tugged the cloak from Cloud's shoulders, untying it from his throat and laying it across him like a blanket instead.

Unsure of what to do after he had finished, Zack sat on the floor by the fire, thinking over all that had happened. He was left to his thoughts for five minutes before the sound of wailing crept downstairs. Zack tensed, remembering the sound.

With a quick glance over to Cloud, he picked himself up and ventured after the noise, proceeding with caution. Each step creaked in his ear, and the sound only seemed to become louder. He reached the landing, and he pushed the loud room open.

Inside was dark. The wailing stopped, and as the light gushed in Zack saw something small, round, and slightly fat twitch on the far-end bed. Beside it was a smaller figure that cooed and propped themselves up.

Zack raised an eyebrow, stepping into the room. His fists had been clenched, ready to fight, but he relaxed at the sight of the two kittens. Kneeling down beside them, the first to meet him (the slightly round and chubby child) was the brunette. The boy sneezed, crawling over with a smile for the new face. He propped himself up on Zack's chest, reaching a hand up to his chin.

"C'oud," he gurgled.

The baby was a few months old. Zack gently sat him back down on the bed, ruffling the small boy's hair.

"I'm not Cloud. My name's Zack." He looked beyond the brunette to where the blonde kitten was sat up with his head tilted to the side and his wide eyes blinking. The blonde child stayed away from him, twitching his ears gently.

The brunette was definitely friendlier.

"You guys got names?" Zack asked.

At a few months old he expected the small kittens to have a few words under their belt. Nothing spectacular, of course, but definitely something. When neither answered him he was a little worried. He pushed his hand to his chest, emphasizing his point.

"My name's Zack. Z-ack. Can you say it? Za-ck."

"C'oud!" Sora yelled, pulling himself up and tugging on a piece of Zack's black hair. He pulled it to him thoughtfully, examining the colour. "C'oud?"

"No," Zack winced, holding his head on an uncomfortable angle. "That's black. See, it's a colour. My name's Zack. Z-a-c-k."

"C'oud."

"No. Zack."

"C'oud!" Sora insisted, yanking hard on the hair.

Zack winced, trying to untangle the brunette's podgy fingers from the strands.

"Za!"

Zack looked up. Beyond Sora the blonde wrinkled his nose, stumbling over the word.

"What?" Zack laughed, no longer wrestling with the brunette for his hair. "Can you say it again? Za-ck."

"Za!" Roxas laughed, clapping his hands together. "Za!"

"Za-ck. My name's Za-ck."

"Za…" Roxas paused, waiting extra-long and stuttering over his tongue for the sound. When it refused to come, he resorted back to the first. "Za!"

Zack smiled. In the cooling room he shivered, looking through the window to where the sun was setting in the spring frost.

"Better get you two downstairs by the fire, huh?"

"C'oud," Sora mumbled, still holding tight to Zack's hair.

Zack scooped him up at an odd angle, picking Roxas up in his other arm. As they bumped down the stairs Sora spluttered random syllables, humming and enjoying the way the bounces tickled his throat. He released Zack's hair at last when they reached the bottom step, and when he laid them down on the matt they sprawled out in front of the fire.

Zack sat in front of them, pushing them away from the blaze whenever they got too close. Dressed in their simple baby clothes, they were protected from the rough carpet-burns from the rug, but Zack was still watchful.

Sora spotted Cloud first. Crawling and stumbling to the couch, he used Roxas to push himself up again and held onto the end of Cloud's nose.

"C'oud!" He grinned, having found his prize.

With a wince, Cloud opened his eyes. He blinked for a moment, adjusting to the change before his eyes sharpened on Sora, and he smiled.

"It's C-l-oud," he coughed, slinking further under the cloak. "Where's-"

"They're okay," Zack whispered, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Cloud tensed, trying to sit up before he groaned, grasped his chest, and sank back against the covers. Zack was by his side in a heartbeat. He picked Sora up gently, putting him beside his brother and allowing them to playfully tussle on the rug.

"Easy," he chastised. "You're hurt. I promised some lady I'd take care of you."

"S-some lady? _Urgh_… I feel awful."

"You don't look much better either."

"Thanks. Why are you here, anyway? You ran off before-"

"I thought this was a guard's house. I heard the crying, and I…" He stopped, looking over to where Sora was trying to bite Roxas' ear with no teeth. "I was wrong. I wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you?"

"For saving me. You didn't have to-"

"Couldn't exactly leave you like that," Cloud smiled. He propped himself up, sagging back down until Zack helped him. "Sora! Behave."

Sora looked over his shoulder. With a sheepish grin he let Roxas' ear go, but no sooner had he sat down than Roxas smirked, flicking his tail cheekily before he dived on his brother.

"Roxas! Oh for Pete's sake." He tried to get up, but his gut lurched and his chest heaved. With a wince he bit his lip. "W-would you mind?"

"Mind?" Zack asked.

He looked over to where the twins tussled. With a laugh he pulled them apart, raising Sora up to his shoulder and placing Roxas by his side. He recognised his mistake in seconds; Sora latched around his hair again, pulling on it gently.

"C'oud!"

"No, it's black," Zack muttered. "They always like this?"

"Unfortunately. They're my little brothers."

"No kidding. You guys are the spit out of each other's mouths." He skimmed the small house again, flicking his ears backwards and forwards. "Where's your parents, anyway?"

"P-parents? Oh." Cloud sank down against the couch. "Gone."

"Oh… Sorry to hear that."

"'S'okay."

"Mine are gone, too. Woke up one morning and they'd just… just left," he stared at the ground in bewilderment, still holding Sora as the brunette tried to catch his twitching ear. "My name's Zack, by the way."

"Mine's Cloud."

"Cloud?" Zack chuckled. "Sure it ain't C'oud?"

They laughed together, both happy for the company and the peace. Sora chirped at having caught Zack's ear, and by Zack's side Roxas became amused with following a ladybug across the floor. The laughter finally fell away, and Zack scooped a wandering Roxas up to him, ignoring the stare of betrayal he was given. Roxas reached out for the bug once more, and Zack caught it for him, letting it trail up and down his fingers and thumb. Roxas watched it, catching it from time to time before opening his hands to let it run again.

"So this lady," Cloud asked. "She have silver hair?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Her name's Raina. She nurses the twins for me."

"Nurses?"

"Yeah, you know, cuz she's a girl, and she's got too much milk after having her own baby," Cloud blushed.

"O-oh. _That_ kind of nurse."

"Yeah, that kind of nurse. Goddess, I ache…" He slumped further down until he was lying flat.

Zack pulled Sora away from his ears, laying him down on the mat beside his brother and leaving them with the bug for a babysitter.

"So, why were the guards after you? You do something wrong?"

"They found out I killed the guard," Cloud shrugged. He trembled a little at hearing the words fall so carelessly off his tongue, and he wondered what his mother and father would have thought of him. He shrank in on himself, feeling the weight of the world hit him with the heat of the fire.

"Well, thanks again, anyway. You can go to sleep if you want. I'm not gonna go anywhere."

"They all say that."

"No, I mean it," Zack smiled. His eyes glimmered softly, and he stretched his arms upwards, picking the twins up and cuddling them into Cloud's side. "I give you my word I'm not gonna go anywhere. I promise."

"We'll see," Cloud whispered, hugging his brothers to his chest. They yawned and nestled against him, curling in on each other for warmth.

Cloud sighed. He was used to members of the Network coming to check up on him. His mom and dad's old friends were frequent visitors when he did foolish things, but they never stayed around long. They always left him on his own at some point, and he was always lonely when he woke up. Today would be no different.

* * *

"So you are planning to stay?" A soft voice asked. Cloud recognised it as Raina's, and he shut his eyes a little tighter, listening to the conversation.

He could hear the sound of suckling, new she was probably covered over with the shawl and a twin on either knee. Just outside the door Cloud heard Zack's voice tremble back to them, and he could hear the nerves shimmying through him at the thought of a woman being bare from the waist up in the living room.

"Um, I-I think so. If Cloud wants me too, o'course."

"And what if he says no?" Raina asked, her voice sweet and smooth.

"I guess I'll, er… well-"

"I do not think he will turn you away, Zack. This Little One has been alone for six hard months now. You seem to have a good soul, and a generous heart."

"Y-ya think so?"

"I am a good judge of character, Zack. I think you would do well to be a part of this family."

"Yeah?"

Cloud heard her patting one of the twin's back, and knew she was almost finished. His heavy mind was groggy still, and his wounds egged him on to rest his bruised body, but he wanted to listen.

"You may come in, Zack. The twins are sleeping."

Zack's footsteps were soft, but not entirely faded. "That was fast."

"They are only small."

"Oh. Is he gonna be okay?"

"Cloud will recover, I am sure, but it will take time. He is hurt, as you too were once hurt. Days of rest are needed, but who should take care of the twins?"

"I can do it."

"You are sure?"

"Yeah. All I have to do is keep an eye on 'em, right?"

She laughed. "If only it were so simple. These two are troublesome, and they will need changing, bathing, playing with, teaching, providing for, and keeping safe."

Zack whistled. "Wow, that's a lot. But you'll do the feeding, right? I haven't got the er… the erm…"

"I will be back thrice more today to see the twins are fed, Zack. You have no worries there."

"Good."

Zack sighed with relief, and Cloud couldn't focus his mind anymore.

When he next came too it was dark. On the floor in front of him the twins were curled up on a pillow in front of the fire, wrapped in a blanket and snuggling between each other to keep warm. Zack nudged his shoulder lightly again, and Cloud glanced up.

Zack grinned, one ear held sideways as he offered him the bowl. "You gotta get up. I've made soup so…" He shrugged lightly, his smile slipping. "I'm not the best cook in the world, but I tried hard enough."

"The twins-"

"Have been fed, winded, changed, bathed, and finally knackered themselves out about ten minutes ago. Will you take this please? It's burning my hand."

Cloud sat up, taking the bowl and staring at it dumbly.

"It's not poison or nothin'," Zack defended. As if to prove his point he dipped his own spoon into Cloud's bowl, taking a bite and smiling. "See? Perfectly fine."

"You stayed," Cloud muttered, completely bewildered. "Normally people don't stay with me. You could get hurt."

"What, cuz of your colouring? So you've got white ears. So what?" He placed the spoon down and raised his own bowl to his lips. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand when he was done, he licked his lips and smiled. "I don't care what colour you are. You're a good guy, and that's all that matters."

"Thanks," Cloud smiled, sipping the soup. It was hot and spicy on the tongue, not the best in the world, but definitely edible.

"You like it?"

"It's great," Cloud lied with a laugh, forcing a few more mouthfuls down his throat. He offered Zack the rest, claiming to be full, and Zack guzzled it down like a boy half-starved.

That night Cloud stayed up until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, happy there was someone around to talk to; happy Zack had stayed.

He wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

The first one-shot I was asked for relating to telling some of the backgrounds of the characters in _My Neko. _I hope people enjoyed and that you like! I'm not sure who to post next time, so if you've got a favourite let me know :)

Oh, as for Roxas and Sora - I know they're only 5 months old, and 5 month old babies (or kittens, as they're called) can't talk and crawl and move about at five months old, but these are Neko babies. I want them active from a young age because they still have some of the animal traits in them. I hope that makes sense ^_^'

I hope people enjoy how Cloud & Zack met!


	2. Blindsided

**Title of One-shot: **Blindsided.

**Characters: **Xain (5 years old), Reno (4 years old), and Axel (new-born).

**Summary: **Reno feels guilty after accidentally knocking into his pregnant mother; the consequence, it turns out, is premature birth. Broken hearted at the swelling remorse, Reno runs away to the forest. But there are feral beasts lurking in the treeline, and scary things hunt in the dark…

* * *

The Tora Kingdom was a bubble of excited uproar. Reno sat on the bench in his mother's private garden, nestled between the flowers and vines. He blinked at the world, but the world was too busy to spare him time.

Beneath the blooming blossom tree he watched the pink petals fall, catching one in his small palm and rubbing it gently with his thumb. His hair was short and frizzy, spiked upwards like his big brother's, and his eyes were soft and ocean-blue, just like his father. The red stripes curled under his eyes, and whenever he wrinkled his nose they would tug and crumple. He didn't like them.

Kicking his legs out beneath him, he sighed in the summer breeze and twitched his ears. Dressed in simple white cotton and red silk, he wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers and unhooked his belt. Footsteps approached on his right, and he looked over to the sound of crunching pebbles.

Xain was a little bit bigger than him. His hair was spiked and buoyant, perfectly placed like a first-born's should be. The black birthmarks were stripes along his cheeks, and he had the grace and refinement a prince should have. With a small smile Xain placed his hands in his pockets, kicking the pebbles out from under his feet.

"You okay, Reno?"

"Yeah…"

"Scoot over."

Reno shuffled along and Xain sat beside him. His posture was perfect, and Reno slouched. For a while the silence stretched on and more maids babbled like clucking hens, fluttering through the garden with towels and their hands clutching their dresses.

"Is the baby here yet?" Reno asked. He frowned down at the flower, placing it beside him.

Xain's ears twitched. "No. Dad said he'll send for us when we can go in."

"Is mum okay?"

"O' course!" Xain laughed, slinging his arm around Reno's shoulders. "She'll be fine."

Reno twiddled his fingers, catching another flower. "Dad was really angry wiv me…"

"He didn't mean it-"

"I didn't mean to knock into her, Xain! Honest I didn't!" He sobbed, letting the petal fall so he could rub at his eyes. The tears flowed, and he hiccupped when gathering his breath. "I j-jus'… I-I jus'-"

"It's okay, it was an accident. Here."

Xain tugged his sleeve down over his wrist. He lifted Reno's chin, pulling his little brother's hands away and sweeping back the tears. His sleeve was damp when he finished, and Reno fidgeted.

"What if I hurt the baby, Xain? What if I-"

"It'll be okay, Reno." Xain hugged him tight, ruffling the frizzy hair and smiling. "I promise."

"Ah, there you two are," a woman called. She was one of their mother's midwifes, covered from head to toe in pearly-white cotton. Her cheeks were chubby, her fringe matted with sweat, and when she looked at them her eyes twinkled. "We've been looking for you both for some time. Come now, little princes. Come, come. Your father wants to see you."

Xain jumped from the bench, still beaming. Reno stayed rooted to it, clinging to the underneath. When the woman went to touch him he pulled away from her, shaking his head with his ears folded back.

"Prince Reno, your mother and father want you. It would do no good to keep them waiting."

"I don' wanna go!"

Xain reached over, uncoiling Reno's hands from the bench and holding it tight. He gave it a soft squeeze and pulled Reno up.

"It'll be okay, Reno. I promised, didn't I?"

"But Xain-"

"Come on. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Dad's gonna shout at me again," he whimpered, folding his ears back.

"Well I won't let him." He turned back to the maid, nodding his head to her.

She led the way back through the castle. Soldiers in heavy steel armour patrolled the corridors, and the further they ventured the more they noticed their increasing numbers. Finally they came to their mother and father's room.

On either side of the corridor was doubled elites, two more stood stationary by the door in masked steel and black striped cloth, and three remained stationed at odd points down the hall. Reno gulped, shrinking further into his brother and squeezing Xain's hand tightly when a fierce man with a scar over his eye stared down on him. Xain kept his head held high, scowling at the elites until they approached the mahogany doors. The woman knocked twice, and Titan's thick voice echoed and boomed within.

"Enter!"

Xain went to open the door, but Reno dug his heels down hard against the tiles, tugging back. He shook his head and trembled, sniffling with tears in his eyes.

"I don' wanna go in!

"Reno, you got to. Mum and dad-"

"They'll be mad!"

"They won't be mad."

"Prince Reno," the woman knelt beside him, not daring to touch him with the watchful eye of the elites upon her. "Darling prince, the new-born prince and the Queen are both healthy. There is no need for you to be afraid."

"Prince?" Xain asked. "We got a little brother?"

"Yes, Prince Xain. Now please, Prince Reno, please go in. Your mother is eager for you to meet him."

"I swear it'll be okay, Reno," Xain said.

With his heart thundering in his ears, Reno nodded gently. He clung tight to his brother's arm, and the door was pushed open. The woman stayed outside, and they entered alone.

Within was quiet. The maids had left and beyond the windows the sun dipped in and out. The panes had been opened and the breeze lifted the white cotton drapes, billowing them out and sucking them in like the shifting foam from the sea. The mahogany dresser was lost under fluffy white towels waiting to be used, and a basin of water had been rested on the far side. In the centre of the room the four-poster bed had the end curtains shuttered, and Reno couldn't see his mother.

King Titan sat on the queen's left, his young face freshly made up with a heartfelt smile. His blue eyes sparkled and captured the sun as if diamonds hid there, and his fire-red hair was a flame of tussled spikes. He leaned over the bed, sat on a chair beside it, and when the door closed softly he looked over.

Reno flinched to see the smile dip some for him. He released Xain's hand as his brother ventured forwards, and his eyes fell to the floor. Shuffling his feet together, he heard his mother laugh, saw Titan's eyes crinkle fondly for his eldest child, and Reno felt different. He tugged on the sleeve of his shirt, twitching his ears and standing still. A sniffle left him, and no matter how hard he fought the hiccup it defied him and left his lips.

He heard the chair scrape back, and he waited for the shouting he knew was coming his way. But instead soft footsteps slipped over the tiled flooring, stopping in front of him. Reno was too afraid to look up.

"'M sorry, dad. I didn't mean to hurt mum."

Titan sighed, dropping to his knees beside his boy. His mouth was lined with stubble and was twitched in a quirky half-smile, his eyebrow raised. "You are truly sorry, Reno?"

"It was an accident," he whispered.

He hiccupped again, and Titan swept the tear away. Hooking his arms around his son, he lifted him up, holding him to his chest and hugging him tight. Reno threw his arms around Titan's neck, squeezing as hard as his four-year old arms would let him. His father's hand rubbed up and down his back, and he could hear the boots moving against the floor as he was jostled against his father's shirt.

His dad sat, and when Reno looked about he was beside the four-poster bed. Sweeping at his eyes to clear them of tears, he blinked dazedly.

His mother looked tired. Her emerald eyes were half-closed, but the sweet smile was there, just like it always was. Her pale skin was smooth and flawless, her cheeks dimpled and lined with sweat. The curly red hair was frizzy as it tumbled over her shoulders, and the Tora birthmarks were black just below her eyes. Her Tora ears were drooped in exhaustion, and she was surrounded on all sides by cushions and blankets.

Reno smiled back weakly and Titan turned him around, holding him on his knee. Xain was sat on the bed beside his mother, a huge smile on his lips as he cuddled a heap of blankets to his chest. The Queen swept some of Xain's hair from his face, and the blankets moved lightly.

She held her arm out to Reno, and he wriggled from his dad eagerly, crawling up onto the bed and cuddling up against her. She smelled like lilies and sweet flowers in bloom, just like always. When she swept a kiss over his head he smiled, leaning over her to look at what Xain was holding.

Xain's grin widened. "Wanna see him?"

"What's his name?"

"We thought of naming him Axel," their mother whispered. Her voice was softer than the larks evensong, and it always rested easy on their hearts and mind. She took Axel from Xain, pulling the blankets back to reveal a soft, pudgy face with cheeks dappled by black triangles. The red fuzz on his head was fluffy and fine, and his ears had yet to earn their Tora stripes.

Reno tilted his head curiously at the sleeping baby. "Axel?"

"I like it," Xain said. "It's got an 'X' in like mine."

"Mine doesn't have an 'X'…" Reno muttered, and his mother held the baby closer to her chest.

"Yours is special, Reno." Her smile thickened and she swept back some of the red tufts from Axel's forehead. "My little Axel…"

"Why's he so small?" Xain asked. "When other people have babies theirs is bigger, but he's so little."

"He was born early," Titan answered, and his eyes shifted over to Reno. "The knock to your mother's belly was…problematic."

Reno flinched, pulling away from his mother to sit on his own. "It's my fault?"

"No, Reno," she soothed, reaching for his arm. "Of course not. It was-"

"I'm sorry! I just tripped! I didn't mean to-"

Axel stirred at the panicked voice. His jade eyes opened and he crinkled his nose, kicking out and wrinkling his face up tight before he started wailing. Reno jumped in surprise, and the jolt on the bed had the baby crying harder.

His mother hushed Axel tiredly, rocking him tenderly in her arms, but it was no good. Xain and Reno scurried from the bed, and Titan took his seat beside his wife, trying to quiet his baby to no avail. Xain stayed by the bedpost, his ears back at the hurtful sound, but Reno slinked away. His eyes glistened with unshed tears and he ran from the room, the sound of the door closing lost under Axel's cries.

Down the corridor he ran, not caring where he was going as he turned and twisted in a flurry of directions. He found himself jumping down the main steps, and he shoved past a group of ladies, toppling one of them over and muttering an apology. Outside his small wyvern waited. Knights ran after him, desperate to grab him and stop him running off, but he wriggled from their grip.

Jumping up onto the scaled beast he lifted it upwards, the reigns tight in his hand. He was still new to flying, but in his heartache he didn't care. The wyvern shrieked, shooting through the sky like a falling star. Over the Tora capital he flew, and he knew the knights wouldn't be long behind him.

It was in the forest he crashed. The wyvern buckled at a wrong turning through the sky when he read the currents of the wind wrong, and he missed the updraft. He yelled and screamed when the branches of the trees scratched and snatched up his arms and over his face, the wyvern bellowed out around him, and he closed his eyes tight.

When the wyvern's snout smashed into the ground he flew from its back. Black spots snuck up on his vision and he winced, curling in on himself and moving tentatively. When he could flex his fingers and move his legs without sharp stinging pains, he relaxed; nothing was broken, but his body was sore and bruised.

With a gasp he pushed himself up, looking along the canopy of the trees with squinted vision. He fell back onto his butt, rubbing at his cheeks before mewling with disapproval at the thick splatters of mud.

The trees overhead were thickly nestled together, so twisted and ingrained they latched from trunk to trunk and sneered down on him, blocking out the light. On the ground his crash had been indented with heavy marks, and the wyvern lay hissing and swishing its tail on his far left, barring its fangs and snapping at the air. It tested its wings twice, flapping them rigidly and roaring.

"H-hey, you okay?" Reno called.

He stood up, feeling sick when his gut lurched. Holding his aching arm, he staggered towards the frightened wyvern, one eyes closed as he panted for breath.

"Its okay. Look, 'm sorry, we crashed, but-_Wah!"_

He ducked when the wyvern leapt upwards and jumped over him. Covering his head, he flinched to hear the branches overhead snapping. Twigs rained down on him, and he glanced up to the hole the wyvern had cast on its escape; through it he could see the sky, but the light it provided was dim and hazy with specks of dust riding the current.

Wrinkling his nose, Reno turned back to the dark forest.

"I wonder what spooked him…"

"_Hisssssssssss…"_

Reno froze. He shivered to hear the whispered hiss snaking through the black bushes, turning left and right in an attempt to catch the hidden sound. It was nowhere to be found.

"HISSSSSS…"

He turned again, his breathing ragged and hasty, his heart pounding, fear catching his pulse and shaking it viciously. He trembled at the brooding sound, backing up against a shredded stump and grasping the bark.

"Wh-who-"

"HISSSSS!"

A beast of shaggy grey fur and razor talons snarled with a mouthful of gnashing teeth, crawling from the bushes. The orange eyes burned with starvation, drool dripped in slobbery patches, and its feral hiss was scathed and brutal. Four legs, two ears, sixty two teeth of flesh-ripping canines, and a tail of poisonous spikes – it was ready to kill.

Reno gulped, his chest heaving. He shrunk back against the tree, his legs trembling with fear and adrenaline. His heart pounded, and in his unsure mind he made a decision. He ran.

With a scream ripping from his lungs he tore back through the bushes, jumping fallen logs and staggering in the darkness. His eyes caught what little light they could and he bounded around corners, splashing in rotten puddles and twisting through the forest. Behind him the thick pad of heavy feet closed in. He could hear it. The hissing was louder and he couldn't think. He folded his ears back, tears thick over his eyes. His leg caught and he tripped, landing face-first in a grimy pool, slick with muck up to his elbows.

The beast snarled and Reno flinched, closing his eyes tight and biting hard on his lip. He cried, waiting for the teeth, but instead there came a ferocious roar, a sickening slash of steel and the tear of flesh, and the beast whimpered. Shallow breaths granted respite to Reno's ears before there came the _thud_ of a carcass on the mud.

"Reno? Reno, are you alright?"

Reno's ears twitched, but he was still too terrified to move. Firm hands held his arms, picking him up from the water and turning him around into a raggedly breathing chest.

Titan swept his hand back through Reno's hair, lifting his chin and checking him. "Are you hurt?"

Reno swallowed hard. Along the line of his father's vision was a deep crimson river and a scratch that leaked green poison into the left eye. He clutched tight to his father's shirt, wrinkling his nose. Behind them Titan's blade remained lodged in the beast's skull, stained green up to the hilt, and the metal began to rust and erode at an alarming rate due to the green liquid stains.

"Dad, I-I'm sorry!" he hiccupped, rubbing his sleeve roughly along his face. He was a big boy; he wouldn't cry. "Dad, I-"

"Are you hurt, Reno?"

"N-no-"

"Thank heavens," Titan sighed. A rough smile came to his thick lips and he picked Reno up, holding him on his hip. "Come. We must return home."

"Home? I thought… I thought…"

"Why did you run, Reno?" Titan asked, stepping over the corpse. Black spots began to dim and dip in and out of his vision, and on the edge of his sight they became permanent. He didn't have long, he knew.

"R-run? Dad, I thought you and mum were mad at me. I hurt the baby."

"Axel is well, Reno, and we are not mad at you."

"You were angry," Reno mumbled, looking down over his father's arms at the passing foliage. The beasts of the forest stayed away from the powerful Tora, and an air of protection surrounded them.

"I was upset, Reno, and I am sorry for making you feel this way. You should never run from your home. You will always belong there."

"Y-yeah?"

"Yes. You are my boy. Me and your mother will always love you, and you should never run from us, nor your problems."

Titan stopped at his red wyvern. The beast was old and almost ready to surrender itself to another life, but it was willing and prepared to follow its Master to the ends of the earth if bid. Titan helped Reno up first before climbing up after him, pulling the reigns to himself and bringing the beast back up through the canopy.

He covered his son when they shot through the trees, protecting him from the scratches as his vision dimmed and swayed. Up in the sky his face burned with the raging scorn of a thousand suns, and the colours of his sight intermingled with each other until they became nothing but a blur of white and grey shades.

He was running out of time.

Halfway back to the Tora Kingdom his Elites met him high in the air atop their own wyverns. Reno blushed to see them, dipping his head and looking down at the ground below. The houses looked like small dots, but he was unafraid of the height.

"My Lord!" One of the Elites called, bringing his orange wyvern up beside Titan. "We have obtained the young prince's beast of burden. Are you alright? Do you need assistance?"

"How is my wife and children?"

"Well, My Lord."

"Good. I'll be returning to them now."

"But, My Lord, your face-"

"I said I will be returning to them now. Would you argue with me?" Titan snarled.

"N-no, My Lord. Of course not."

"Good. I pity the man that dares to take that challenge upon himself. Now lead the way."

"Lead the way, My Lord?"

"Are you blind as a bat or can you not see the poison in my eyes?! I said lead the way!"

"Y-yes, My Lord. At once. This way."

* * *

It was dark outside. Reno sat up in his bed, freshly bathed with his wounds dressed. His room was large and lavish, too big for him by far, and too empty for him to care for. With a sniffle for the cold air he crept out by the moonlight, his feet pattering on the tiled flooring restlessly.

As soon as they had landed he had been carted away by the knights and his father had been guided to the hospital wing. From then on he had yet to see anybody, including his mother. He felt forgotten, and it hurt.

Opening his door, he tensed at the small squeals it gave and slipped out. The knights on patrol had finally fallen asleep, and he sneaked around them. His father and mother had placed his and Xain's rooms down the same corridor as their own, just to keep an eye on them. Sneaking past Xain's room, Reno stopped outside his parents' door and sucked in a deep breath.

His bare feet were cold on the marble flooring, and he tried knocking twice before his courage fled from him. The torches around him threatened to die, and with a hasty breath he knocked faintly on the door, half hoping they wouldn't hear, but desperate that they should let him in. He scrunched his fingers together, playing with the bottom of his pyjama shirt and keeping his eyes on the floor.

Inside the soft padding of feet could be heard and the door opened. His mother stood in the doorway, her lavender nightgown tight to her frame to show off her voluptuous curves and baby-fat. She smiled at him, her hair tussled and her cheeks red.

"Reno, darling, what are you doing out of bed?"

Reno pulled hard on his fingers, feeling the sweat collect in his palm and shuffling. "I-I…I jus'…"

She knelt to be on his level, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Reno, are you alright?"

With his eyes closed, he shook his head, too embarrassed to look at her. "I had a…a…"

"A nightmare?"

"Uh-huh."

"Come here, sweetheart," she picked him up, groaning when she lifted.

Closing the door softly, she made her way back into the darkened room. On the far side a small cry came, and Reno twitched his ears, looking in the direction of the small cot. His mother placed him on the bed, leaving him for a moment, but in his eagerness to see Reno sat up on his knees, twitching his ears and crawling to the end of the covers.

A rough chuckle resounded behind him, and a strong hand wrapped around his stomach, pulling him back. He looked back to his father, and Reno's ears drooped. A heavy blindfold filled with ointment had been placed over both of Titan's eyes and secured around his head, but the poison and puss was still crusted about his face.

Titan brought Reno to his chest, holding him, and when Reno looked over he saw Xain sleeping on Titan's other side. His brother was snoring loudly with drool slobbering down his front, cuddled into their dad's chest with an arm wrapped around him.

A dip in the covers alerted Reno to his mother's return, and in her arms she held Axel. She swept back the bright red tufts of hair, pulling the covers over their legs and snuggling down by Reno.

Curiosity peeked in Reno's heart and he pulled the covers back. Axel was awake, his bright green eyes shining and sparkling. Capturing one of Reno's fingers, Axel chewed on it contentedly, gurgling around it and kicking out with his feet.

"Ew! He's gross!"

His mother giggled, stroking a finger over Axel's pale cheek. "He likes you."

"Y-yeah? Why's he trynna eat me, then?"

"He's not eating you, Reno. He is still a baby. Axel is merely saying hello."

"Hello?"

"It will be a few months before he will start to speak. For now he has to say hello in different ways."

"I still think he's a cananal."

Titan chuckled, wincing when the bandages slipped. "I think you mean cannibal, Reno, and hopefully he's not. Goddess knows how we'll feed him if he is."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," his mother whispered, taking Reno's finger from Axel's mouth. "It is past your bedtime, Reno. Time for you to sleep."

"Huh? Aw, how come I have to go to bed but Axel gets to stay up?"

As if hearing Reno's point Axel yawned, flashing his gums and blinking dazedly. His small ears flopped over and he turned into his mother, secure in the warmth of his many blankets.

"Alright, now it's definitely bed time," Titan whispered.

Reno scooted under the covers, turning into Titan and holding him tight. His dad's arm wrapped around his shoulder and he felt the fingers rub up his arm soothingly, drawing him into a world of contented sleep.

"Hey… Dad?"

"Yes, Reno?"

"I love you..." He reached his hand back for his mum's slender fingers, holding them loosely. "I love both of you."

"We love you too, but you still have to go to sleep."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

Titan's breathing hitched and he smiled sadly. "Go to sleep, Reno. We'll talk in the morning."

"'Kay…"

He drifted into a deep slumber, his breathing even and his mind clear.

When he woke the next morning his father's eyes were no longer an exotic blue.

Titan was blind.

* * *

I know, not a lot of Axel as a baby in this one, but I am planning another one-shot more focused on the three brothers. For now I just wanted to explain why Titan is blind, and why there is such friction between him and Reno. Hopefully you'll all enjoy!

I currently have close to twenty one-shots to build up and present with this collection, but I'm still open to ideas! Let me know if there's anything you want to see in particular, and I'll make sure to jot it down on my list!

**Stalker - Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy it. Yeah, I wanted to get the one-shots up as soon as possible before I started My Neko 2, which I should be starting soon, because I wanted to get some of the backstories out there to give that extra depth to the story. I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I thought that considering they have animal traits as adults, they should probably have them as kids too - until they learn right from wrong at least :) Thanks so much again! I hope you like this one-shot, too! (Although I know Reno is not the most beloved character in My Neko lol)**


	3. Growing Up

**Title of One-shot: **Growing Up.

**Characters: **Xain (ten years old), Reno (nine years old), and Axel (five years old).

**Summary: **Their world was always bound to change, but at five years old Axel never expected it to happen so soon. It was an accident; he never meant any harm, and when the blame turns his way he is determined to be heard. He isn't a liar, and he'll be damned before Reno escapes blame.

* * *

The ground was hard with the sneaking fingers of frost. Up above them the sky swirled with fluffing flakes of snow, dropping gently to create a powdered existence over the camp. Sounds of wyverns chomping and thrashing against trees and roaring up to the skyline thrummed against the eardrums of the Toras, the smells of oil and well met hammers battering steel shuddered around them to invade the senses, and in the dark pit of the forest Titan kept his family close about him.

Huddled in an amber cloak with a black furred collar, he swept an arm around his adoring wife and pulled her close. The torches gleamed on either side of them, creating beacons to frighten off the darkness, and in the hum of the dazed light he could listen in on his three sons.

Xain was ten years old. His oldest child made him prouder every day, although he dared not tell him for fear of creating hate between the three. Instead he taught Xain the ways of becoming a king, helping him to grow and to learn, bringing about him the fair insight of justice and honesty. On his tenth birthday he had received his first sword, much to his second child's dismay.

Reno's eyes had lit up at the sight of the sword, and Titan had promised an equal present on his tenth birthday. But for now a ridge had come across them as they pelted each other with snowballs and ice-balls from all directions, revealing no mercy, and it was laying heavy upon his mind.

By Titan's side Axel walked, listening to the crunching snow under his boots with fuzzy ears and a small smile for the sound. Lifting his boot, he checked the slush and wrinkled his nose. At five years old he was more curious of the world than afraid of it; his black stripes had finally grown along his ears when he was three, and as he grew his hair had grown wilder and his eyes seemed to absorb more of the sun.

"You are looking for something, Axel?" Titan asked, hearing the pause beside him. He and his wife stopped, looking down to where Axel crouched and ruffled his fingers through the white dust. The small nose wrinkled, and Axel swished his tail testily, poking the hard ground.

"Where'd the bugs go?"

"The bugs?"

"Yeah," Axel lifted a rock, peering beneath. "Where'd they go?"

The Tora Queen smiled, leaving Titan to pull Axel to his feet. He was growing fast, and was almost at a height with her waist. She raised his collar about his cheeks, tucking it tighter around his shoulders and brushing down his front.

"Winter is a time for sleep, Axel. Many animals take this time to rest."

"Why?"

"So they can open their eyes in spring, and be warm once more."

"Why not just stay awake? Wha's wrong wiv snow?" The squeaky voice asked. He smudged his face up and giggled when his mother wet her thumb and swept away the muck from his cheek. "Ew! Yuck, mum!"

"Do not fuss, Axel," she smiled. "You are the muddiest kitten I have ever known. Even in the snow you come up dirty."

"'M not a kitten!" Axel protested, puffing out his chest. "'M big like Eeno and Xain!"

"Not quite yet, darling. Soon, though."

Axel huffed, his cheeks red from the biting frost. "Why's it take so long to grow up? I can't wait to be big! Then I can go 'splorin'."

"Ex-ploring," Titan pronounced.

"E'splorin'," Axel mimicked, nodding his head. "I'ma travel the world when I'm big. Go everywhere!"

"We shall see," Titan said. His blind eyes looked out to see distant shapes blurring in thick shades of grey, and he squinted. "Does the snow worsen?"

"It does," the Queen whispered. "We should take the children inside. Frost on fingers is all well and good, but frost in the heart thins the blood. I want none of my little ones poorly."

"As always, you are right," Titan laughed. Lifting his voice, he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Xain! Reno! Come here!"

The laughter ahead of them stopped. Reno paused, blinking dazedly back at his family. The snowball dropped from his hand and crumpled on the floor. Opening his mouth to speak, he cried out instead to have Xain pelt him in the face with a rough snowball from close proximity. It stung his nose and cheeks, covering him in biting white darkness and causing him to shiver. Shaking his head and fluffing up, he glared over at his brother.

"You're dead, Xain!"

"Gotta catch me first!"

"That's enough," Titan said, picking up Reno as he sprinted by him in search of Xain. He held his struggling child up, heaving him over his shoulder and turning his hand out to Axel. "Come. It is time you were in your beds."

"Aw, really?" Reno asked, pushing against his dad's back and wiggling to be free. "I wanna stay up!"

"I want never gets, Reno," their mother said.

She took Xain's hand, giving him a soft frown when he pulled a face at Reno. Caught in the act, Xain smiled extra wide and shrugged his shoulders, letting her tug him along. Axel took his dad's hand, fitting his small palm snugly against the rough skin as they were led through the camp. Titan listened for his wife's steps, following them carefully and heaving Reno up further when he almost managed to escape.

The elites surrounded their parent's tent, and Axel blinked up at them. His feet dragged before stopping, and he stared up in awe for the gleaming weapons and the hardened faces. Dreaming of days when he'd have his own scars and thousands of adventures under his belt, he smirked confidently. A soft tug on his hand brought him back to the real world, and he slipped inside the tent.

It was cold within. The fire tried its best to blaze and crackle, but it was not in the mood for feasting upon the logs, and so instead it picked at the bark and spat out small slips of warmth. On one side of the room three make-shift beds had been raised, laid out with thick furs across them, and on the other was a double bed strewn with covers and quilts.

When Reno was set down he pouted, trying to wriggle around his blind father before his mother caught him. Taking his hand, she pulled him over to his bed.

"Come, Reno. Bedtime."

"But I'm not tired! C'mon, just five more minutes?"

"Do as your mother says, Reno."

"But dad-"

"But nothing. Bed, all of you."

The Queen took Axel from Titan, pulling his cloak from his shoulders as the Tora King went to sit on his bed. Axel tried to help with the knot at his throat, heaving at it with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. His small fingers slipped, and he grunted impatiently before his mother undid it for him. She folded it over her arm, turning to his boots instead and slipping them away.

Lifting his shirt over his head, she laughed when it got stuck under his nose. He tugged on the shirt impatiently, pushing it up awkwardly with muffled cries. When it finally came off he gasped for breath, shivering in his vest.

"Mum, I'm cold. Wh-_ah!"_

She pushed his pyjama top down over his head, catching his cheeky smile and helping him get his arms through. Pulling the front down, she went to reach for his pants before he stopped her, glancing back to where Xain and Reno where snickering.

"I can do it, mum! I can!"

"Axel," she brushed a loose strand of red hair from his face. "Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh. I can do it. I tol' you, I'ma big boy. Jus' like Eeno and Xain, remember?"

She looked uncertain, but with a nod and a kiss to his forehead she left him. Sweeping kisses over the foreheads of her other children, she bid them all goodnight and changed herself, sinking into bed beside Titan. Her sons didn't watch her undress; instead Xain and Reno changed and tucked themselves under the many covers whilst Axel heaved on his bottoms.

With a final shiver Axel swept under his sheets, his breath frosting in the air. Snuggling down, he pulled his legs up to his chest and peeped an eye over to his brothers. Xain was in the middle, his arms behind his head as he closed his eyes and drifted into an easy sleep. Past him was Reno, and although he couldn't be certain, he was sure he heard his brother twisting and turning uncomfortably. Closing his eyes, Axel sighed into his hands, holding them close for warmth as dreams flooded his consciousness.

* * *

It was early; exactly four sixteen AM.

Outside was bitter cold, and the snow had only grown in clusters of thick flakes. All of the soldiers had retired to their camps – all except the elites – and not an animal scurried through the brittle pines.

Axel rolled over, sneezing under his cover and sleepily opening an eye. He yawned, his small canines showing themselves for half a heartbeat before he rubbed his eyes. Sparing a glance over to his brothers, he frowned, lifting himself up onto his elbow.

Xain was still fast asleep, and he could see the protective figures of his mum and dad breathing in their bed. But over on the far side Reno was up and tying his boots hurriedly.

"Eeno?" Axel asked, yawning again and rubbing at his eyes. His ears flopped over and he tilted his head on a side, sniffling lightly.

Reno turned back to him, his aqua eyes alight.

"Shhhhh!" he whispered, pressing his finger to his lips. "Go to sleep, Axel."

Axel crawled out of the covers and over to the end of his bed. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Nothin'. Go to sleep."

"Nu-uh. You're fibbin'-"

"Shhhh!" Reno hissed again, flinching to hear his dad snore loudly across from them.

Axel twitched his ears in that direction, still sat up on his hands and knees. With keen eyes he leaned over the bed and pulled his boots up, tugging them on his feet.

"I said go to sleep, Axel."

"'M comin', too!"

"No. Go to sleep."

"Nu-uh." He tied his laces, taking extra time to make the loops and thread them under the bridge. "I'll tell."

"Damn sneak!"

Axel looked up with wide eyes, his mouth open in awe and horror. "You swore…"

"So?" Reno shrugged. "If you're comin' you're gonna have to hurry up. I don't got all night."

"'M goin' as fast as I can," Axel mumbled. With his boots tied he jumped from his bed, tiptoeing around Xain to Reno. "Where ya goin'?"

"Out." Reno lifted the underside of the tent, sticking his head out to check for elites. With the coast clear he slipped away, leaving Axel alone.

For a moment he bit his lip, looking back to his family and his warm bed. But then the image of the elites flashed in his mind, and he longed for the adventure. The sheets were rough in his hand as he lifted a small opening, and outside he shuddered in his fleecy pyjamas.

Reno was nowhere in sight, and the embers atop the torches had begun to burn low, dying out all together in some places. For a moment he stood frozen, still holding up the tent flap in two minds to go back. It was dark outside and the moon was ripe in the sky, an owl hooted dangerously in the forest, and Axel gulped.

Spotting Reno's footprints in the snow, he released the tent and followed them. They were only soft, and from time to time they slurred. Axel's feet sank deep into the snow and the damp seeped through his boots to numb his toes. With a disgusted mewl he picked up his pace, running through the camp until he came to the woods.

Reno's footsteps led inside, but the overbearing pines were thick and menacing. Sea upon sea of striped white pines stripped back covered everything, and a sleazy mist had begun itching its way up from the ground.

"Eeno!" He whispered, too afraid to raise his voice in case something in the woods heard him. "Eeno, you in there?"

The cold nipped harder at his cheeks and chest and he shuddered. Puffing out his chest, he sucked up his courage and entered the thorny trees. They towered over him, and his bottom lip quivered as he looked up for the sky, seeing nothing.

In his earnest search for the moon he lost his brother's tracks, and dread flooded through him. Looking back to the snow, he staggered and dropped down to the ground, no longer looking for bugs. His heart leapt in his mouth and he shook his head, throwing his ears back in fear and looking back the way he had come; but the mist had swallowed everything, including his own footprints. He was lost. Alone.

A hiccup lodged in his throat and he rubbed at his eyes, standing and turning around, looking left and right and muffling his steps until nothing could be seen. Tears stung his eyes and something akin to panic snatched his voice from him, leaving him whimpering in the eerie white nothingness.

"Eeno?" He called, tugging on his sleeve desperately. "Eeno, p-please-"

"_**ROAR!"**_

"AHHH!"

Axel cried, falling back when something hard smashed into his chest. He landed hard on his back, scurrying away with his feet scampering against the snow. Tears streamed down his face and he covered his head, sobbing for his mum and dad before thick, taunting laughter came from within the treeline.

"Oh, Goddess! You shoulda seen your face!"

Unable to control his breaths, Axel opened his eyes, lowering his hands. He was sat in a clearing, and he had skidded further back than he had thought. Sat in the middle of the clear snow, there were no footprints and no trees. The snow was cold and slippery under his palm, and he looked to where Reno sat gasping for air between his giggles.

Sagged back against a tree, Reno clutched his stomach, sinking down with cackles ringing around him. Another tear slipped over Axel's cheek, hot and warm, and he couldn't understand what had happened. His poor heart still leapt from the shock, and beneath him the ground seemed to crumble and groan.

"Gosh, I bet you wet yourself too," Reno laughed, looking over to him. "You're such a kitten."

"I'm not a kitten," Axel blushed, going to pick himself up before the land cracked and began to dip.

Sat up on his knees, he frowned to feel icy water flowing over his fingers. Looking down to it, he lifted his palm before something broke away and his hand dipped completely. Yanking his wet hand up, he shook it, spraying droplets everywhere.

"Eeno…? Eeno, what's goin' on? The ground's wet."

Reno stopped laughing. Standing up, he tried to step out onto the clear snow before it moaned loudly. Something somewhere split, and they could hear the clinking crack like shattering glass devouring its way through the air. Reno gulped, and when Axel tried to move again he held up his hands.

"No! Don't move!"

"Why?"

"Jus' don't, okay? Stay real still."

Axel looked down at the growing water. He tried to move away from it, but the cracks deafened him and drew him back. Glancing up to his brother, he saw the terror on Reno's face, and he became scared.

"Eeno! Eeno, help!"

Reno swept some of the snow away to reveal the icy lake beneath. He sucked in a deep breath, glancing over to where the ground seemed to shift and dip about Axel.

"I'm gonna go get help-"

"No! No, don't leave me! Please, Eeno!" Tears swam over his eyes again and Axel quivered, not caring if his brother saw. "I can't s'im, Eeno!"

"It'll be okay, Axel. I'm gonna go get da-"

"I'm sinkin'!"

"You'll be okay-"

"Eeno-"

"You'll be okay, I promise!"

"Reno?" a soft voice asked. "What are you … Axel?"

Axel looked up to his mum. She had her fur cloak thrown over her shoulders, her hair was tumbled and tussled, but at the sight of her baby helpless on the ice all thoughts of sleep fled from her eyes.

"Axel!"

"Mum! Mum, I'm s-scared. I can't s'im!"

"Stay there, kitten. I'm coming." Throwing her cloak down to the floor, she slipped barefoot onto the ice.

The terrain cracked threateningly again and Axel threw his ears back, shaking his head urgently.

"Mum, it's gonna crack!"

"It's gonna be okay, Axel. I promise." Leaving Reno on the bank, she warned him to stay put and gently moved towards her youngest child.

He ignored her, yelling about finding his dad and slinking away from the scene in fright.

The ice chilled the Queen's blood and sent numbing shockwaves up her legs. With her heart in her mouth she eased closer until the water flowed up to her ankles. She could hear the whoosh of the water lapping up, could hear the small hiccups in Axel's throat, and her mouth became dry. Kneeling down near him, she held her arms out carefully, not daring to breathe in case the ice should take her child from her.

"Axel, I need you to listen to me carefully, alright?"

"Mum-"

"You're going to crawl towards me, okay. It'll be alright, I swear."

"But m-mum," Axel sobbed, unable to see past the thick tears. "I'm scared."

"It's okay, sweetheart. Come to me. I'll keep you safe, I promise. You'll be alright."

Trusting her word, Axel sneaked forwards. The ice called for him, wanting him, crying out when he moved atop it until he flinched and shook his head.

"I can't, mum! It's gonna break!"

"Do as I say, Axel. Trust me."

He placed his left arm forward, wincing when the water snaked up to his wrist. He only had a few feet to go, just a few feet.

Crawling towards her, he took his time, listening but never hearing the encouragement she gave him. When he finally met her arms he smiled nervously with relief, but the deep shimmer of glistening tears in his mother's jade eyes and the way the ice spoke loudly had his heart hammering.

"Mum-"

"I love you, Axel." She swept the loose strand of red hair back out of his face, kissing the top of his head with a tear on her cheek. "My little kitten."

The ice cracked louder, and on the edges it dipped.

"Mum? Mum, I-"

"Try to be a good boy, Axel."

"H-huh? M-mum? Mum, I'm sorry. I n-never meant-"

"Never be afraid, darling." She mushed his cheeks together, sweeping his tears away urgently. "Never, okay?"

"Mum? M-_Ah!"_

He yelled when she picked him up and threw him over to the bank. He landed hard on the snow with a thud, safe on solid ground. Ignoring the pains in his body, he jumped back up, running to the edge and clinging to the tree, looking out for his mother before dropping to his knees in fitful sobs, his sight overrun with tears.

Titan smashed onto the scene, yanking Axel back from the edge by the scruff of his neck and throwing him into Xain. His brother caught him, and as the echoing _SPLASH _of his blind father jumping into the lake ran out he could see the elites scampering to join him.

Xain held him tight, rubbing his hand up his arm with his mouth open in shock. Wide eyes looked from Axel sobbing at his chest to Reno panting beside him, and he trembled to hear his father screaming his mother's name whilst ripping into chunks of ice and battering the waves, resurfacing for a gasp of air only to dive down again.

"H-h-how…? H-how…?"

"It were Axel's fault!" Reno defended, his eyes swimming as he pointed at his little brother accusingly. "He were on the ice! I told him not to, Xain."

"Axel? That true?"

Axel couldn't answer. His knees knocked together and he cried harder into his brother's chest, clinging to him hard. The elites dragged his father away from the water kicking and screaming. Reno yelled that it was Axel's fault again, and Titan's blind eyes closed heavily, too hurt to see.

The three princes were guided away from the water's edge, and one of the elites brought a wyvern through the treeline – ready to search for the body.

* * *

It was at his mother's funeral, two weeks later, when Axel found his tongue.

The maids had made him wear black because they said it was a special occasion. Axel didn't see why black was the chosen colour; he wanted to wear his best clothes, like his mother would have wanted him too, but they wouldn't let him. Scooping a hand into the cold water basin, he washed his face, taking extra care to get the smudges she was no longer there to wipe away, looking pale and gaunt in the mirror.

Reno had stuck by his story, telling it far and wide to any and all who would listen. Titan had heard the tale with half a heart, and Axel hadn't seen him since that fateful night. He knew his father was avoiding him, and Xain too, all because Reno had lied. It hurt to be alone with the maids, but he didn't mind. His dad was hurting too, and as he sat on his bed he understood this.

The elites were the ones to come for him. They told him to keep his chin up, and under no circumstances was he to cry. Crying was a weakness, and he needed to have that squashed out of him now. Important people would be present, they said, and the Tora Kingdom would not look weak for him. He had to grow up.

Numb inside, he walked down the steps with them at his side. The Entrance Hall was crammed with royal family members, but Axel only recognised a few. The elites left him at the bottom, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder before they turned their attention to the present king.

"Well, if it isn't the little killer himself."

Axel looked up with a lump in his throat. A fat man with Neko ears hung over him, his smile crooked and yellow and his gut large. Although he wore fine clothes he stunk like a sty, and the thick perfume only aggravated the scent.

"I didn't…" Axel whispered, letting his eyes fall back to the floor.

"Not bad, I must say. Killing your mother at the sweet age of five. That must feel good. You keep up this sort of reputation and I think I'll have a job for you."

"A-a job?"

The man's greasy smile lingered on his face. "Sure. How do you feel about pest control?"

"Pests?"

"I have three little rats running around my kingdom. Little white ones. Horrible things they are. You could catch 'em for me."

"You only have three mice?" Axel asked. "There's lots of 'em round here."

"Ha! Right you are, lad. Still, if you're ever in the Neko Kingdom and your pockets are feeling a little empty…"

The fat man winked before moving on, leaving Axel thoroughly confused. He wrinkled his nose, standing alone by the staircase in his grief.

"Hiya, Axel. Sorry to hear about your mum."

"Thanks, Larxene," Axel sighed, not needing to look up to know the golden haired Raion princess had sought him out.

She hooked an arm through his, but he pulled away from her. With a small frown she tugged him back. "If you want you can come stay with my family. Get you away from this place."

"Your family?"

"Yeah. I know you're not a monster."

"I didn't do it," Axel whispered. "I didn't."

"Sure, okay. But still, do you wanna come over? It'll get you away from this dump."

Before Axel could answer Reno crossed his vision with Xain. They were talking with the Raion King, thanking him for his sympathy. With a hard scowl Axel pushed Larxene away, ignoring her screeches and stomping through the crowd.

Neither of his brothers saw him approach. Grabbing Reno's shoulder, Axel span him around, catching the surprise on his brother's face for a second before he punched him. Reno staggered back with his hands over his nose, landing in a heap on the floor with small drops of blood falling down his chin.

Ansem snatched Axel up within seconds, restraining the struggling Tora tightly and yelling for Titan. The Tora King ran through the crowd to him and Reno was quick to tell what had happened. Picking his son up, Titan turned his blind fiery gaze on Axel.

"Axel! Explain yourself!"

Axel's eyes glistened and he continued struggling, not caring for the silence of the room.

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" he screamed, kicking and fighting Ansem for all he was worth before a second Raion helped restrain him – the prominent General Luxord.

"Axel-"

"NO!" Axel yelled over Titan, not caring if he was making a scene. "I DIDN'T KILL MUM! HE DID!"

"Me?!" Reno snarled, pinching the bridge of his bleeding nose. "It was you on that ice-"

"You pushed me!" Axel cried, desperate to be heard. "I was stuck!"

"You shouldn't have followed me!"

"I was curious!" Axel shouted. "I wanted to be like you and Xain! But now I hate you! I fucking hate you, Reno! You killed mum!"

Titan took Axel from Ansem, and in his father's strong grasp he quieted and stilled immediately. It was the first time his father had turned his attention on him in two weeks, and Axel was almost hopeful before the smack crashed against the back of his head. He yelped, flying forwards before Titan caught him, giving Reno an identical whack.

"Guards! Take my sons to their rooms. I am disgusted that they would disgrace me on the day of their mother's funeral." He fixed his stare upon the two small Toras. "I am deeply, _deeply_, ashamed, and you will stay out of my sight until I come for you or Goddess help you."

Axel and Reno were picked up and dragged upstairs by the elites. Reno yelled and cursed the whole way there, claiming to be innocent, but Axel went in silence. Shame swelled in his heart, and he clamped his feelings up tight, promising to be tougher. Stealing a glance Reno's way, he felt hatred swell within him.

Axel was dropped off first. Opening his door, the elites swarmed in, slamming the windows shut and locking them tight before they dumped him unceremoniously on the bed. With an "oomph" Axel landed on the covers and cushions, pushing himself up just as the door slammed shut. Bolts were slid in place on the other side, and he heard the lock click with an angered heart.

Clenching his small fists tight, he ran to the door, yanking hard on the handle and tugging it for all he was worth. He booted the wood, hammering against it with his fists to no avail. The solid wood refused to budge, and he was trapped.

Shivering with rage, he leaned his forehead against the door. Isolated in his room, his heart crumbled, and he sank against the wood with his knees cuddled to his chest.

* * *

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Titan sighed.

It was dark, and the funeral had finally passed. With his strength sapped, he sat in his throne room, glad his company had left him to his heartache. Rubbing a hand over his tired eyes, he listened to the sound of moving feet on his right.

"Titan, I think you are being too hard on your boys," the Ookami King said. He sat in a hard-back chair, pulling his sleepy son onto his lap. With his fluffy ears drooped Demyx hugged his father's chest, closing his eyes tiredly and snuggling his face against the familiar scent.

"But how am I to be lenient? You saw the way they acted, Leo. And on this date…" He pushed his hair out of his eyes, shaking his head. "I don't know what to do with them. Now Dahlia is gone, I…"

Leo rubbed his arm up Demyx's back, hearing the sobs of his strong friend and sighing. "I am deeply sorry, Titan. She was a good woman, a devoted mother, and a gentle soul."

"She was too good for me," Titan whispered. "She gave me three gems, and I couldn't save her from…from…"

Leo ran his hand back through Demyx's spikey hair, and his son shuffled, turning over with deep, even breaths. "Titan, she did not die in vain."

"Of course not. Axel-"

"Do you still blame him? Titan, the boy is five."

"He should not have left the tent. Him and Reno-"

"They are children, filled with curiosity. This tragedy is exactly that, but it can only grip your hearts if you should let it. Speak freely with them, Titan, and they will reward you as they grow. Tonight was an act of your ignorance to that matter."

"And what would you know of grief!" Titan snapped, slamming his fist down hard on his throne. "Tell me now, Leonardo, what experience have you with the matters of the heart and its fickle strings?! Your boy was bred out of wedlock-"

"My boy is my world, Titan. Take care to keep your tongue in your mouth. Friend or no, you attack my child and I will see to it that your world crumbles around you," Leo growled, holding Demyx tighter.

"My world has already crumbled."

"You think too much on the negatives. Open your eyes, Titan. You are blind, but that should not stop you from seeing."

"What would you have of me, Leo?" Titan asked, folding his striped ears. "My wife was taken from me, and all because of a careless act on Axel's-"

"You are doing it again, Titan."

"I am doing nothing. Stating fact is-"

"Opinion against opinion does not equal fact. You are not new to the world of being a father, Titan; you know that children spill lies upon lies, and they will fight to death to cover these up and stay away from the harsh nature of reality. Who is to say Reno is being truthful?"

"Reno is older. He would not-"

"Perhaps he would not lie, but distortion of the simplest kind can alter a lifetime. These boys were panicked. You may have lost a wife, but they have lost a mother. I put it to you that you are being selfish, a word I would never thought have using to describe you."

"I am not allowed to take time in my sorrow, Leo? Would you have me turn to stone?"

"I would have you look after your children. You have neglected guiding them for two weeks, and tonight you have seen the repercussion this has had. I have never heard one of your children swear until this night, and I had never expected to see them lash out at each other with such rage. You have to be careful now, Titan."

"What is it you mean?"

"I saw what you have become hindered in seeing. There was, perhaps, a dangerous spark between Reno and Axel. They are hurting badly."

"They have just lost their mother, Leo-"

"And for the past two weeks have been neglected a father. Tell me, Titan, would you have grown to be such a fair king if your parents had neglected you?"

"Guard your tongue, Leonardo. I neglect none of my children!"

"No? Tell me, when was the last time you spoke with Axel? When did you last take Reno hunting, or fish with Xain? When are you there for them outside the politics of this world? When they call upon needing a father, where are you?"

"I am single-handedly running perhaps the most powerful kingdom on our continent, Leo! What am I to do?"

"Make time for them," Leo whispered. He stood, cuddling his son to his chest. "You may have a powerful kingdom, Titan, but it is not enough. It is time to open your eyes. Your boys need you."

"I-"

"Go to them. Yes, keep your kingdom in your mind, but ensure your children occupy the space in your heart. You have to become stronger now. Even if it should kill you, it is time to become two parents instead of one."

Titan sagged in his seat, covering his unseeing eyes. "Leo, what am I to do? The Tora Council is already lining up applicants for my second bride."

Leo chuckled. "Titan, you are a Tora king. If you need my help fighting off old men with liver spots then I fear you are growing grey beyond your years. Dahlia was a perfect woman. A man cannot find two stars in the same sea."

"Leo-"

"It is time I had my boy in his bed. I believe it is midnight, is it not? Your heart must be heavy, yet you still have three final visits to make." Walking to Titan, Leo took his hand and held it fiercely. "Good luck to you, my friend. If ever you should need the Ookami Kingdom, you have only to send word."

"Thank you."

Their hands slipped apart and Leo left. Raising from his seat, Titan swept from the room. The elites went to follow him, but he held a hand out to stop them. Sweeping down the corridor, he turned about the corners with practiced ease, counting the steps as he climbed to ensure he wouldn't trip.

For three minutes he walked and climbed until finally he came to a locked door. Slipping the bolt free, he pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked it. Knocking twice, he pushed the door open gently. It groaned, and he peered around the corner.

"Axel? Axel, are you awake?"

"I didn' do it," a small voice squeaked.

Axel was sat on his bed, and about him his room was a mess of splintered wood, toppled furniture, ripped clothes and smashed pottery. With a snuffle he rubbed his red eyes, hiccupping lightly.

Sighing, Titan slipped inside and closed the door. His feet knocked the broken wood, and he frowned, stepping over it.

"You did this?" he asked, unable to see but knowing the room was a chaotic mess.

"You don't believe me," Axel whispered. "Nobody does."

"Axel-"

"I don' wanna stay here no more!" he cried, avoiding Titan's eyes and staring down at the floor, kicking his feet out over the side of the bed. "Larxene says I can go stay wiv her, an' I wanna. I don't wanna stay here!"

Titan frowned. Taking his time, he made it to the bed. Sinking down upon it, his heart dropped to feel Axel shuffle away from him.

"Axel-"

"You can't make me stay!"

"Axel-"

"I already's packed, a-and-"

Titan placed his hand over Axel's mouth. His son quieted, but didn't wriggle away, something Titan was glad of. "Axel, why do you want to leave?"

When the hand left his lips Axel gripped the bed sheets. "You don't want me no more."

"What on earth gave you an idea like that?"

Axel rubbed the back of his sore head. "You mad at me all time, an' you don't wanna see me no more, so I'ma go."

"Axel," Titan pulled him close, holding him strongly even when the small hands pushed against him. "Axel, I love you. You're my son, of course I want you."

"Nu-uh! You're a liar!"

"Axel-"

"No!" Axel squirmed free, landing hard on the floor by the fractured furniture and ripped curtains, moving away from Titan's hands. "No! You're lyin'!"

"Axel, I'm not lying." He picked the young Tora up, sitting him firmly on his lap and holding him still. "I'm sorry I have been mad with you. I'm just missing your mother."

"I didn' do it!"

"I believe you."

Axel stopped fighting. With tears hot on his cheeks he stared at his father. "Y-you do?"

"Of course. Neither you nor Reno is to blame for this. It was an accident, I see that now."

"B-b-but-"

"Axel, I haven't been here for you for the last two weeks. I'm here now, and I'm sorry. Please, don't leave. If you want to go, you can. I won't stop you, but please," he swept Axel's hair from his eyes, holding him with his eyes sparkling. "Stay here with me and your brothers. I love you, and you are always welcome here."

Axel reached his hands out and held the fabric of his dad's shirt, his shoulders shaking. "Daddy, I m-miss mum. Why'd she have to g-go? I don't… I don't…"

When he broke down crying Titan held him as if the water was back and trying to snatch him away. Pulling him close to his chest, he tucked his head under his chin and rocked back and forth, soothing him gently and stroking his back. The sobs became softer after five minutes until only dry coughs and red eyes remained, and Axel had fallen quiet.

"Axel, I don't blame you or your brother for anything. Your mother loved you…" He stopped, catching the lump in his throat and swallowing it back down. "She loved you all so, so much. She's in a better place now. One day you will see her again, but I pray it will not be for many moons, and even then it will be all too soon."

"W-why? I wanna see her n-now!"

"She would not want you to do that, Axel. She would want you to live your life and stand strong. Tell me, why have you destroyed your room? You are angry?"

"A little…"

"Are you angry with me?"

"No. Reno. I h-hate him!"

"I'm sure that's not true."

"It is! I hate him!"

Titan sighed, still rubbing Axel's back. "Well, this won't do at all."

"H-huh?"

"You can't stay in here tonight. Come, we'll go down to the kitchen and get something hot to drink. You can get in my bed tonight."

"For reals?" Axel asked, his eyes hopeful.

"For reals," Titan laughed. "I have to go see your brothers, so why don't you go down to the kitchen and wait for me?"

"'Kay."

"Good boy." He smiled, ruffling Axel's hair and heading for the door. "Can you remember the way to the kitchen?"

Axel nodded, following his dad outside and looking down the empty corridor with the glimmering torches. "I can do it. I'm a big boy now."

"That you are," Titan said. "I'll meet you there soon, I promise."

"Hey, dad?"

"Yes, Axel?"

Biting at his lip for a moment, Axel pushed away his nerves and hugged Titan tight. "Love you," he murmured, squeezing as hard as he could before he pulled away and sprinted down the corridor.

* * *

And that's why Axel hates Reno :(

Quite a morbid little chapter I think, but anyway, there you have it. I'm eager to move away from the Tora's for a little while, so I'm thinking of picking randomly from my list. Maybe Pete or Ventus next?

**mitzi-hindle - I'm so glad you're enjoying them! :3 It means I'm doing something right, haha. You re-read My Neko? Like the whole thing? Wow lol. But I'm glad it changed your perspective on Reno a little. There are some finer details I just couldn't slip into the major story, so this is here to make up for them, and if it's changing your viewpoint then it's doing its job lol**


End file.
